1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an upper thread guide mechanism for a sewing machine which has an upper thread supply source and a sewing needle, and more particularly it relates to an upper thread guide mechanism which provides a path for the upper thread extending from the upper thread supply source to the sewing needle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A sewing machine has a number of parts which must have an upper thread inserted therethrough before a sewing operation involving coordinated movement of elements such as a tension device, a thread take-up lever, a thread guide, a thread take-up spring and a sewing needle can be started. Insertion of the thread through these parts must be effected in a predetermined order. The thread inserting procedure generally comprises at least the steps of horizontally pulling the upper thread delivered from a bobbin toward the machine head, entraining it around an upper thread guide to change the direction of the upper thread, downwardly extending it across the top plate to the front side of the machine, entraining it around the tension device or thread take-up spring, changing the direction upwardly, inserting it through the thread take-up lever, pulling it downwardly, and inserting it through the needle via another thread guide. Therefore, the upper thread drawn from the bobbin must be pulled around horizontally, transversely and vertically before it can reach the needle and, furthermore, insertion of the thread through the thread take-up lever is also required. The operation of inserting the upper thread through the thread take-up lever in this manner is particularly troublesome. The actions of entraining and inserting the thread elsewhere while changing its direction are also troublesome, take much time and effort and are not easy operations, particularly for beginners in sewing operations.